In 2018, Sacred Games marked a pivotal moment in India’s OTT entertainment scene as Netflix’s first original Indian series. While the show enjoyed widespread success, actor Vijay Varma recently revealed that he was almost part of this groundbreaking production before being dropped at the last minute.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Vijay Varma opened up about his career journey, sharing the challenges he faced before achieving mainstream success. The actor disclosed that he was cast for a role in Sacred Games and had even gone through costume fittings before being unexpectedly dropped.
“Casting directors believed in me, but I was not given a chance for a long, long time,” Varma said. “In some auditions, I was on the waitlist, in the top five or top two, and then I was locked, but later dropped. I was locked in Sacred Games; I did my costume measurements, and then I got dropped. Stuff like that has happened, but some part of me kept the faith. Work started coming in after Gully Boy, but I think I was so starved for work that I took a lot of it after the film,” he shared.
Reflecting on his later career, Varma admitted that after his work with Alia Bhatt in Darlings, he felt he was being typecast in negative roles. However, he credits filmmakers such as Sujoy Ghosh (Jaane Jaan), Homi Adajania (Murder Mubarak), and Anubhav Sinha (IC 814) for helping him break free from the mold.
“A part of me wanted to break it, but I couldn’t possibly do it myself. I found great support in filmmakers who saw potential in me and wanted to offer something new,” Varma added. “The industry works in mysterious ways—when they see potential in you, they also give you a chance to explore the other side.”
About Sacred Games
Sacred Games, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap, featured an ensemble cast including Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Saif Ali Khan, Radhika Apte, Neeraj Kabi, and Pankaj Tripathi. The series, a crime thriller revolving around a cop’s pursuit of a notorious gangster, received rave reviews for its first season. However, its second season, released in 2019, garnered mixed reactions. There has been no confirmation of a third season.